Sign petition to make Pocono Township first class

Sunday

Jun 30, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Editor, the Record:

Editor, the Record:

What is going on in Pocono Township? First, we read about unauthorized payments made to a former supervisor and police chief. Then, we hear about a $159,000 dump truck purchased without the supervisors' required public approval. Add to that, the situation where two of the current supervisors fired the third from a township job, only to vote into that same job one of the two who did the firing. The resulting lawsuit will cost taxpayers many thousands of dollars. This is craziness.

I know that these elected officials try to do the best they can, and I don't believe there's any dishonesty or ill-intent on their part. I do believe that these are examples of an antiquated system of township governing that is no longer effective in a 21st century Pocono Township.

Second-class townships were meant for small rural communities. As populations grow, the challenges within townships become more complicated and the old ways of doing business no longer make sense. When elected leaders can vote themselves into paid township jobs, there are no checks and balances. There's no transparency. They become their own boss and, as we have seen, that can cause intentional and/or unintentional abuses of power. We also have seen that the three-supervisor governing structure can create two-to-one conflicts that are obviously detrimental to streamlined and effective governing.

All this can change if Pocono Township votes itself into a first-class township. There is a petition being passed around by a group calling themselves the "Pocono First Initiative." Provided there are enough signatures, the question, "Should Pocono Township become a first-class township?" will be on the November ballot. To find out how to sign the petition, email poconofirst@gmail.com.

Let's get this initiative on the ballot. And let's upgrade Pocono Township to a first-class township.